The CLA (which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses) has welcomed new rules that have come into effect to help crack down on waste crime.

The legislative amendments, which came into force on 30 October, will speed up action against rogue waste site operators.

CLA President Henry Robinson said: “Landowners and landlords have been left exposed to waste operators that have either gone bankrupt or disappeared leaving large amounts of waste on site. This abandoned waste then becomes the responsibility of the landowner. This can be extremely costly and can cause both environmental and safety problems.

“We welcome these legislative changes, which will allow the Environment Agency to take early action by revoking a permit. This can prevent continued stock-piling of waste, which means the landowner is less likely to be exposed to clear up costs on the same scale as some have been faced with before now due to rogue waste operators.

“Defra figures earlier this year suggested fly-tipped waste on private land costs the rural business sector between £50 to £150 million in clean up costs every year. The CLA has called for culprits to be dealt with more robustly for years and we will continue to press for greater powers for enforcement authorities.”